On The Steelers: Injuries piling up in backfield
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Mike Tomlin called football a game of attrition the first day the Steelers hired him to coach their team. Nowhere has the erosion been felt more than in his backfield.
An already shaky backfield took three more blows with the revelation that fullback Frank Summers was placed on injured reserve with a back problem, his replacement last Sunday, David Johnson, is out with a high ankle sprain and starting halfback Willie Parker has turf toe.
The Steelers were fortunate in one sense that Carey Davis, their starting fullback through the first half of last season, was still available after they cut him before this season. They quickly re-signed Davis yesterday and he will become their third starting fullback in three games. Add to that the loss of Sean McHugh, their starting fullback the second half of last season who was placed on injured reserve this year.
Coordinator Bruce Arians said two weeks ago that there was no fullback in his offense, and, darn, if he wasn't correct.
Parker's injury might mean the resurrection of Rashard Mendenhall at halfback. Mendenhall was benched on offense by Tomlin Sunday in Cincinnati when his learning curve of the playbook looked more like a flat slider.
Tomlin took issue yesterday when he was asked at his news conference if Mendenhall was still in his doghouse.
"He is not in the doghouse. I don't have a doghouse," Tomlin replied. "A doghouse is something you have when you let things stew and you don't take action. I intend to take action and I'm done with it.
"He lacked a little detail in his preparation last week, so I chose not to play him offensively, and really was quite frank in dealing with him."
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